This Was Never About Avoiding Work
Choosing to write wasn't a rejection of responsibility.
It was the opposite.
For years, I did what you're supposed to do:
- I learned
- I built
- I accumulated skills
- I kept trying
Game development.
Web development.
Design systems.
Databases.
Frameworks.
Long nights spent learning things most people never see.
There was effort.
There was discipline.
There just wasn't stability.
Skills Don't Always Translate to Security
I acquired a massive amount of technical skill with very little to show for it financially.
Not because I didn't work hard.
Not because I lacked ability.
But because:
- Opportunity didn't align with circumstance
- Remote work rarely accounts for parenting reality
- Entry-level pay rarely respects senior-level responsibility
And most importantly—
because every "real job" came with hidden costs no one talks about.
The Babysitting Equation No One Likes to Do
A traditional job sounds simple until you calculate childcare.
Babysitting costs would:
- Consume most of the paycheck
- Require longer hours just to break even
- Pull me further away from my children—not closer to stability
Work would increase.
Presence would decrease.
Stress would multiply.
That's not progress.
That's erosion.
Presence Is a Cost Too
Being present with children isn't free.
It costs:
- Career momentum
- Traditional optics
- External validation
But absence costs more.
It costs connection.
It costs awareness.
It costs the chance to notice who your children are becoming in real time.
I wasn't willing to pay that price quietly.
Writing Became the Most Honest Work Available
Writing doesn't pretend to be easy.
It doesn't guarantee income.
It doesn't impress resumes.
But it allows me to:
- Stay present
- Work around real life
- Build something slowly without sacrificing my children in the process
Support exists here not because writing is noble—but because it's responsible given the reality.
This Is Not a Shortcut
There's nothing easy about this choice.
There's uncertainty.
There's vulnerability.
There's explaining yourself more than you should have to.
But there's also integrity.
Support helps make this choice survivable—not glamorous, not comfortable, just possible.
Why Support Matters in This Context
Support doesn't replace effort.
It doesn't erase responsibility.
It helps offset the gap between:
- What work pays
- What parenting costs
- What presence requires
It allows this story to continue without pretending the math doesn't matter.
Thank You for Understanding the Reality
If you support this work, you're not endorsing avoidance.
You're acknowledging:
- The cost of childcare
- The value of presence
- The reality that "real work" doesn't look the same for everyone
And that understanding—quiet, honest, and grounded—means more than you know.